Shooting first became a medal sport at the 1976 Paralympic Games in Toronto after a successful demonstration at the prior Games in Mandeville, England.

Shooting is divided into rifle and pistol events, air and .22 caliber. The rules governing Paralympic competition are those used by the International Shooting Committee for the Disabled. These rules take into account the differences that exist between disabilities allowing ambulant and wheelchair athletes to compete shoulder to shoulder. Shooting matches athletes of the same gender, with similar disabilities, against each other, both individually and in teams.

Paralympic shooting competition is open to male and female athletes with physical disabilities such as amputation/limb loss, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke.